


Dream Lover

by somebodywakeuphicks



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Hopper and Joyce in High School, In the back of his dad's Oldsmobile, Sex, Snowball 1960
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 16:46:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12775206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodywakeuphicks/pseuds/somebodywakeuphicks
Summary: It's 1960. Hopper and Joyce are 18-year-old high school seniors, and it is the night of the Snowball. A bad snowstorm hits, leaving the two stranded. Read on to find out what happens...





	Dream Lover

Joyce crumpled to the ground of the cold, tile floor in the Hawkins High School bathroom. Mary Janes and t-strap shoes kicked her ribs and legs as fists yanked her hair. Joyce let out a wail and tried to fight back, but there were four girls to just the one of her.

“Come on, let’s go,” Sherri said. “If we keep this up, we’re gonna get in trouble, and I want to go dance with John.”

Barbara turned to Joyce and spit in her face. “We better not see you talking to John again. Understand?”

Joyce, nose bleeding and cuts on her arms and mouth, nodded. As soon as the girls left, she curled up in a ball on the floor, tears streaming down her face. She needed to get herself together, or someone would walk in and see her.

She had only asked John about a homework assignment due the following Monday. Apparently, Sherri was not too fond of that.

Joyce stood up and rinsed her face, blood swirling in the sink and down the drain. She examined her lip, still bleeding. She always found that lips bled longer than other places. The girls had made such a mess of her bob that when she tried to fix it, it only looked worse. Smoothing out her strappy, white, knee-length dress, she fingered the flowers on her skirt, splattered with small pinheads of blood. She moaned. Why had she decided to go to the dance with Lonnie? She should have known that he wouldn’t actually spend time with her, instead finding an empty classroom to smoke weed with his friends. Joyce didn’t have a ride home, and it had begun snowing heavily by that point. She’d have to endure the rest of the dance until Lonnie was ready to go.

Joyce stepped out of the bathroom timidly. The gymnasium swarmed with high schoolers and chaperones. _Snowball 1960_ , a large banner read. She glanced around for a few of her girlfriends, but most of them decided not to go to the dance. Marching over to the bleachers, she sat, resting her chin on her hand.

Suddenly, a voice spoke behind her. She turned around. “Jim!” she said.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked.

“Gee, thanks. Sherri, Barbara, Martha, and Judy. That’s what happened to me.”

“Bitches.”

“Yeah, well, you hang out with that crowd. I’d better be careful. If they see me talking to you, I might get pummeled again.”

Hawkins High School divided itself between the haves and the have-nots. Joyce lived with her dad in a trailer as he struggled in and out of jobs and drunkenness. Jim Hopper’s family was a little better off, but not enough. However, he played on the football team, making all the difference.

“Screw them. I will protect you.”

Joyce balled her fists. “I don’t need protecting, Jim Hopper.”

“Oh, really? Your face says otherwise.”

Joyce turned away, a flush spreading across her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. That was a shit thing to say. What can I do to make it better?”

Joyce turned back to him, eyes blazing. “You can give me a ride home.”

“Yeah, I can do that. Let me grab my coat. I’ll get yours, too.”

Joyce handed him her ticket and fumed, arms folded across her chest. She could never decide one way or the other how she felt about Jim. On the one hand, they came from similar families and understood each other in that way. Occasionally, they would share a smoke underneath the bleachers and make a mad dash when they got caught. On the other hand, he belonged to the crowd that Joyce despised. And he often said things that made Joyce mad, much like he’d just done on the bleachers. He didn’t value tact a whole lot.

Jim came back and handed her the crimson swing coat she had worn. She threw it on hastily. “Okay, let’s bail.”

They walked out to Jim’s dad’s Oldsmobile coupe. He opened the passenger door for her, and still feeling stubborn, she glowered as she got in.

Jim started the car for Joyce, then cleaned the snow off the vehicle before getting inside, brushing the snow off his shoulders. “Getting home should be interesting.”

“Yeah, it’s gotta be like, six or seven inches by now? And still coming down.” Joyce’s tone softened.

“That’s not even the biggest problem. Look how the wind is picking up.”

They drove toward the outskirts of town where Joyce lived. One minute, they discussed Mr. Cooper’s unfair grading system and the next, they spun in two full circles before sliding into a ditch.

“Shit!” Jim yelled as he slammed his fists on the steering wheel. He turned to Joyce. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. What happened?”

“Black ice.” He got out to check the damage. “Just a few scrapes on the front, but my dad’s gonna kill me,” he said, getting back in. “I don’t see how we’re going to get out of here. We’re gonna have to walk or wait for someone to drive by and flag them down.”

Joyce glanced at her tights and pumps. “I can’t walk. You can if you want, and I’ll wait here.”

“I’m not gonna leave you here alone. What if it takes hours?”

“Well, then I guess we wait.”

Jim turned the heat up, handed Joyce a blanket from the backseat, and flipped the radio on.

_There goes my baby, movin' on down the line_  
_Wonder where, wonder where, wonder where she is bound?_  
_I broke her heart and made her cry_  
_Now I'm alone, so all alone_  
_What can I do, what can I do?_

_Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh_  
_(There goes my baby) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_(There goes my baby) Whoa-oh-oh-oh_  
_(There she goes) Yeah! (There she goes)_

“I love this song,” Joyce said.

“I can just picture Lonnie singing it right now.”

Joyce hit Jim’s arm. “Be quiet. I’m not breaking up with him.” She could’ve sworn she saw Jim’s mouth twitch.

“I know. I was just joking. You know, because you left him at the dance.”

“He deserved it.”

Hopper put his arm up on the back of the seat, turning to face Joyce. “Can I ask you a serious question? What do you see in him?”

“Well, he can be really sweet to me. And he’s cool. And we’re from the same kind of family, you know? Plus, my dad hates him. That’s a bonus.” She laughed.

“Okay, but for all the times he’s nice to you, how many times does he treat you like shit?”

“Why do you care?”

“I guess I don’t. You can do what you want.” Jim rolled the window a crack and lit a cigarette.

“Here, give me a hit,” Joyce said, motioning. Jim passed the cigarette to her as she took a puff and handed it back. “How long do you think it’ll take before someone drives by?”

“Beats me.”

“What do you see in Chrissy?”

Jim looked at her incredulously. “Are you serious?”

Joyce rolled her eyes. “Is that all that matters to you?”

“Of course not, but so long as the girl I’m really interested in doesn’t notice me, I might as well.”

Joyce’s stomach flipped. “The girl you’re really interested in? Now this is interesting. Tell me more.”

“Uh, okay. She’s short. Dark hair. Cool and fun. We don’t run with the same crowd, so I don’t see her nearly as much as I’d like. From time to time, though, we hang out under the bleachers and smoke. Until Mr. Cooper catches us.”

“Get bent.”

“ _What_?”

“What are you trying to do?”

“I’m not trying to do anything. I’m just being honest.”

“You’re just trying to make it with me. I’m conveniently stuck with you right now.”

“God, Joyce, that’s not what I’m doing. I know it may seem like it, but you're different than the other girls. I think you’re swell. Special. I’ve never met anyone quite like you.”

Joyce humphed, grabbing the cigarette and taking another puff. “I’m not easy, you know.”

“I never said you were. Shit, forget I said anything.”

“I will.” Joyce turned to face the window. Her face flushed, and she hoped Jim didn’t see. She would die if Jim knew that every time they passed in the hall, her stomach flip-flopped and her knees turned to jello. That every time they skipped class, she wondered what it would be like if, instead of sharing a cigarette, they shared a kiss. That sometimes, when Lonnie felt her up, she imagined Jim in his place.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

_Every night I hope and pray_  
_A dream lover will come my way_  
_A girl to hold in my arms_  
_And know the magic of her charms_  
_'Cause I want (yeah-yeah, yeah)_  
_A girl (yeah-yeah, yeah)_  
_To call (yeah-yeah, yeah)_  
_My own (yeah-yeah)_  
_I want a dream lover_  
_So I don't have to dream alone_

Joyce threw a sideways glance at Jim. He looked right at her with his irresistible blue eyes. Suddenly, their bodies drifted toward each other, their lips meeting, as if drawn by a magnet. He brought his hands up to cup her face as their tongues danced. Breathless, Jim pulled away. “Are you sure you want this?” Joyce answered by placing his hand on her breast. He leaned in once more, pressing her against the passenger side window as they made out, his hands feeling her up.

“Should we go in the back? There’s more room,” Joyce said. The pair climbed over the backseat and continued the task at hand. Jim kissed Joyce’s neck, then moved down to her cleavage, sliding the straps down along with the top of her dress. He unhooked her strapless bra, pulling it off, and breathed in sharply at the sight of her naked breasts. Joyce pulled Jim’s face in as he kissed and fondled them, running his tongue over each nipple and bringing them into his mouth.

“You’re so beautiful, Joyce. And I mean that.”

She put her finger to his lips to shush him and pulled him up for a kiss, running her hands through his dark blond hair. His hands roamed downward and under her dress, squeezing her ass, then making their way to her front. As Jim teased her through the fabric of her underwear, she climbed on top of him, straddling him as she pressed rough kisses to his mouth, causing her lip to start bleeding once again. Jim didn’t seem to care and grabbed her hips as she rolled them into his erection. She urgently undid his bowtie and unbuttoned his dress shirt. Jim tore it off and pulled his undershirt over his head. Joyce nibbled at his chest and neck as she continued to grind against him.

“I want you, but I don’t want you to think I’m easy,” Joyce whispered in Jim’s ear.

“I don’t. Promise.”

Joyce unbuckled Jim’s belt and pants, and he lifted his lower half up as she brought them to his ankles. He pulled her tights and underwear down, sliding them off. She mounted him once more, and he positioned his cock as she sunk down, letting out a little squeak.

“Oh my god, you’re adorable.” Jim grazed his mouth against hers and lingered there as she whimpered against it with every thrust. Every time she slid down, he rose to meet her. She pressed hard against his pelvis, writhing. Soon, shivers traveled from her core up her spine as she neared her peak. The resulting orgasm sent shocks through her body, down to her toes. “Oh god, Hop!” Joyce cried out, trembling with satisfaction.

“Movemovemove,” Jim cried, practically pushing Joyce off of him as he came onto the seat and floor. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, letting out a loud sigh. “ _Damn_ , Horowitz.”

Joyce smirked, pulling her dress back up and feeling around on the floor for her underwear. “ _Don’t_ tell anyone about this, got it?”

“Of course. And I love that you called me Hop.” He winked, and Joyce blushed.

It took a few more hours before anyone spotted the car, and another hour still to tow the vehicle out of the ditch. Joyce heard that several accidents had occurred that night.

Nothing ever came of Joyce and Jim’s evening stranded in the car. Joyce continued to date Lonnie, and Jim returned to Chrissy Carpenter.

Until the night of the Snowball, 1984. Joyce had just lost Bob, and Jim was _there_. Clearly, the timing was terrible, but as Jim wrapped his arm around her and held her hand, sliding his thumb against hers, his warm embrace stirred something inside of her. Something she’d almost forgotten. The possibility seemed so far away, and yet, _what if_?


End file.
